


invisible string tying you to me.

by Morganatique9



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Happy Ending, Love, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post series finale, Romance, Soulmates AU, a tiny bit angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:20:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25772713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morganatique9/pseuds/Morganatique9
Summary: Since they were little kids, they were told that when they will turn twenty years-old, they will suddenly see the world in black and white until they would meet their soulmate. Only then will they see colors again.Lydia Martin was a bit skeptical about that. So, naturally, when she turned twenty, she quickly got used to the idea that she will never see colors again. And then, one day, after coming back to Beacon Hills for Scott’s birthday, she saw the one person that would make everything change.
Relationships: Lydia Martin/Stiles Stilinski, Melissa McCall/Sheriff Stilinski
Comments: 15
Kudos: 70





	1. The rest of the world was black and white...

**Author's Note:**

> Soulmates AU, yay! (Title along with chapter titles are Taylor Swift's lyrics)
> 
> It will be multi-chapter, although I'm not planning more than 4 chapters. It will probably mainly be from Lydia's POV, although I'm considering a Stiles' POV at some point. We'll see
> 
> So, I haven't watched the show in a while, there may be some things that I didn't remember well. I took some liberties, like the birthday's dates amongst other things, to fit with the story.
> 
> Also, I feel like I need to point this out: English isn't my native language so I apologize if there are any grammar mistakes or weird sentences. Don't hesitate to let me know!
> 
> Anyway, hope you'll enjoy your reading, don't hesitate to comment or leave kudos :)

**_ Chapter 1: The rest of the world was black and white… _ **

Nobody was able to explain why or where it came from. It was a scientific mystery. Why did people suddenly stop seeing the world in color at the age of twenty years old? Most of all, why were they only able to see colors again after meeting their soulmate?

When her parents and her teachers had explained that mysterious fact to her when she was in primary school, at the age of only ten years old, Lydia Martin had laughed. She had laughed because it sounded ridiculous.

Lydia was not the girl to believe in fairytales, beautiful castles and Prince Charming. She was the girl who aimed to achieve her goals. She was the girl who wanted to win a Field’s Medal. And the fact that a ludicrous soulmate fantasy would eventually deprive the world of its colors in her eyes was utter nonsense to her.

Lydia quickly got used to the idea that she would see the world in black and white for the rest of her life. In fact, she had no intent on finding a “soulmate”. She was a strong and independent woman. She wouldn’t rely on anyone else to live her life the way she intended to.

It didn’t mean she couldn’t have some fun, though. When she went to high school, she made some nice and interesting acquaintances. For a while, she dated Jackson Whittemore. At some point, she even let herself believe that maybe, possibly, oddly enough, Jackson could be her soulmate. However, things ended weirdly between the two of them and when Jackson moved to London, she never heard from him again until Gerard Argent lured him back to Beacon Hills and she found out that he started dating Ethan. Lydia had given up on the stupid idea that Jackson might be her soulmate and moved on definitely.

She hooked up with some other boys after Jackson but none of them were really important to her. Until there was _this_ one, though. One boy that disconcerted her like no one else before.

At first, Stiles Stilinski was just some guy she always went to school with and who had a crush on her since the third grade. She never acted on it, even though she didn’t mind the attention. But then, the day Peter Hale had turned her into a Banshee, everything had changed. Whether she wanted it or not, she was tied to Scott McCall’s pack and everyone around him. Which meant she got to know Stiles better. She spent time with him, got to respect him, to appreciate him, to… _like_ him.

Lydia had kissed him once to help him stop a panic attack. At least, it was what she was telling herself. Kissing Stiles was much more destabilizing than she would have thought. The feelings of his lips softly pressing against hers was unique and undeniably incredible. However, Lydia being Lydia, these feelings scared her and she never mentioned the kiss once again. Neither did Stiles, for that matter.

They became closer and closer with time, always partnering up when there was a new enigma to resolve. They worked great as a team. Lydia had almost forgotten about her unsettling feelings for Stiles. And then, he was taken away by the Riders on the Storm. Everyone had forgotten about him. Except Lydia. She could never really forget about him because she realized that, against all odds, maybe she did feel something for someone she used to think about as a dork and a nerd. Eventually, they found each other again. He had told her he loved her and even though she was still scared to say it back, she let him know that she was feeling the same way about him. They graduated from Beacon Hills High, the power of the Nemeton wore off and everything seemed to finally get back to normal. Maybe she could let herself go, for once.

But she was only eighteen at the time. She couldn’t know for sure how deep was her love. She couldn’t predict what the future had in store for her. Besides, Stiles was already leaving to enroll in a pre-FBI program at a university in Washington D.C…

Then, just with a blink of an eye, summer had passed, Lydia and her classmates were getting ready to go to college. Scott had gotten into the University of California-Davis as a pre-veterinary student but he still kept on coming back to Beacon Hills regularly to check on the city and his mother, recently engaged to Stiles’ father. Malia left the country to live in Spain with Derek and Cora. Liam and Mason still had to finish high school. Lydia went to MIT and had great plans for her future. Lastly, Stiles continued his program in Washington D.C . 

The members of the pack went their separate ways.  At first, they managed to keep in touch the first few months afterwards, but eventually, their group chat became less active. And they all went on with their lives.

Stiles and Lydia had tried the long distance relationship. After all, Washington and Massachusetts weren’t that far apart. Sadly, it didn’t work out. Within just a few months, they both decided it would be better to call it off. Lydia was sad, even a little bit heartbroken, but what did she know? She was only eighteen.

Two years later, Lydia turned twenty years-old. On that particular morning, she had woken up feeling odd and different. When she had opened her eyes, she had felt scared, shocked, paralyzed. She could only see in black and white. It was then true.

The first few days had been difficult to adjust to her new life. She had gotten some help from people older than us, who had already been through it. Her classmates at MIT were thankfully really helpful. Then, with time, she got used to it. Like she thought she would since she was a little girl. And suddenly, it wasn’t all so bad. After all, the brain tries to transform any new situation into a habit to settle into comfort. And as it always did, her brain performed a fantastic job.

Even though she was comfortable with the idea of seeing the world in black and white for the rest of her life, subconsciously, Lydia couldn’t help but scan the crowds whenever she was going somewhere. She thought maybe one day, she would lock eyes with someone who would literally brighten up her world again. But it never happened. Eventually, she stopped trying.

Here she was today, six months after turning twenty, getting ready to go back to Beacon Hills for a few days to celebrate Scott’s birthday. Indeed, he was finally turning twenty himself and instead of feeling sorry for himself and having a depressing celebration, like most people did, Scott decided to have a party with all of his friends. And what better place to party than the town where they all met?

Lydia wasn’t totally sure how she felt about seeing everybody again. Scott, Liam, Derek, Malia… Stiles. She hadn’t spoken to him since they had broken up and she was wondering if things would be awkward or if it would surprisingly be very natural.

She didn’t have much time to think it through, since she was already on Melissa McCall’s doorstep. Lydia rang the bell and waited a few seconds, looking all around her. There was a lovely arrangement of flowers on her right, sadly, she couldn’t appreciate it at its fullest, since she could only see it in black and white. Pursing her lips, Lydia faced the door again, which opened at once in front of her.

“Lydia, oh my God, hi!”

Scott was smiling ear to ear when he greeted her. Even though they hadn’t really talked in a while, Lydia smiled too and immediately accepted his embrace. They hugged for just a few seconds before parting and looking at each other.

“Wow, you’re very… old-movie like.” Scott told her, laughing.

“Right back at ya.” Lydia retorted, chuckling. “How are you feeling?”

“Well, I’m not going to lie, it’s really weird and I’ll need time to process but… I actually thought it would be worse so it’s kind of okay. Please, come on in, we’ll talk more inside!”

Scott stepped aside to let her walk into the house. Lydia immediately did so and took time to observe the interior. From what she remembered, it hadn’t changed a lot, except for the lack of color, obviously.

“Thank you so much for coming all the way from Massachusetts, I really appreciate it.” Scott told her.

“Well, I hadn’t come back in a while, it was the perfect occasion. I’ll be able to spend time with my mom and everything. Besides, twenty is a pretty big deal.” Lydia responded playfully.

Scott chortled and Lydia felt suddenly overwhelmed and soothed to be back here. Seeing Scott’s dimples when he smiled reminded her of a meaningful time in her life, and it was both exciting and sad. Lydia quickly composed herself and cleared her throat before looking around.

“Am I the first one here?” She asked Scott.

“Oh not at all, there’s my mom, obviously, also Liam and Mason, and um…”

A beat. Scott suddenly scraped the back of his neck, as if he was embarrassed. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. Lydia raised an eyebrow and smirked.

“Let me guess. Stiles is here.” Lydia said.

“Yeah…” Scott said with a drawl. “Is it going to be okay?”

“Sure. We… broke up on friendly terms so I don’t see why it wouldn’t be okay.”

“Well, the first time you see your ex after breaking up isn’t very easy, even though you no longer have feelings for them.”

“Oh trust me, I know that.” Lydia asserted, thinking of the time she saw Jackson again after a long time.

“Okay, then… Follow me to the living-room.” Scott said with a smile.

Scott started heading towards the living-room but Lydia called him before she could follow him. He stopped and turned around to look at her, waiting for her to talk.

“I just want to know…” Lydia started saying, uncertain. “Um… Does he… I mean, Stiles, does he… you know…”

Lydia couldn’t believe she was seriously that insecure about Stiles to even think about that. She couldn’t bring herself to actually asking her question, fortunately, Scott was a very perceptive person and managed to figure it out on his own. He smiled in a comforting way.

“He still sees the world as you and I do.” Scott told him softly.

Lydia oddly felt reassured. She exhaled sharply and smiled. Then, she finally walked to follow Scott to the living-room. As he walked in without any hesitation, Lydia stopped for a few seconds in the doorway, breathing calmly. She could do it. It wasn’t a big deal. They were adults, she was a self-reliant woman, she had nothing to be afraid of.

Lydia finally stepped in. First, she saw Melissa McCall, who ran to her to give her a hug along with a genuine smile. Lydia was delighted to see her again. Then, she saw Mason. They greeted briefly, exchanging a quick hug before she turned to Liam and did the same thing with him. It did feel nice to see all these people again.

Finally, she spotted him. Stiles was here, dressed up in an elegant shirt with jeans and derby shoes. His hair was a bit messy but she still found him so damn attractive. She bit her cheek to compose herself and got ready to face him, since he wasn’t looking directly at her. Eventually, he turned around and laid eyes on her. His sweet beautiful brown eyes.

_ Wait, what? _

Lydia looked around her and stiffened. She could see Scott’s blue shirt, Melissa’s red dress, Liam’s electric blue eyes. She softly gasped, teary-eyed – everything was colorful again.

Unfortunately, her awe didn’t last and she eventually had to look at Stiles again. He looked as startled as she was, and in perfect harmony, they both let out a quiet:

“Fuck.”


	2. ... but we were in screaming color.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter!!  
> Sorry it took a while to update, I have so many things to deal with these days. Hope you'll like it anyway! Don't hesitate to leave kudos or comment :)

**_ Chapter 2: … but we were in screaming color. _ **

Lydia was helplessly staring at the three cocktails bowls on the table against the wall of the living-room, trying to figure out what was happening to her. The cocktail on the left was blue. She assumed it was probably some try on a blue lagoon. The one in the middle was orange. Most definitely a classic punch. Lastly, the one on the right was red. She had no idea what it was but she was undoubtedly savoring it.

As she brought the glass to her lips and took another sip of it while analyzing the colors of the cocktails in front of her, Lydia felt a presence next to her but didn’t bother acknowledging it. The blue of the cocktail on the left was hypnotizing and she couldn’t take her eyes off it.

“Are you okay, Lydia?” She heard the person next to her saying. “You haven’t said a word since we’ve arrived.”

Lydia pursed her lips at Malia’s question, quietly dancing around to the rhythm of the music playing in the background.

“Also, your smell is full of confusion and fear, everyone can sense it.” Malia blurted out.

“Ugh Malia, please!” Lydia groaned, finally acknowledging her friend by glaring at her. “We’ve talked about it once, stop… _smelling_ people’s feelings, it can make them uncomfortable.”

“Well, I’m sorry but I didn’t really have a choice, it’s so obvious it’s impossible to ignore.” Malia retorted abruptly.

Lydia sighed and tilted her head backwards, replacing a loosen strand of hair to adjust her hairstyle. She was trying to keep her composure but it was not that easy when the person who made her world colorful again was standing only a few feet away from her.

After their defining eye-contact, Lydia hadn’t said anything about her new state to anyone. From what she had seen and heard, it didn’t look like Stiles had said anything about it either. Apparently, they were both confused and upset about what had just happened to them. Justifiably.

Lydia didn’t want Stiles to be her soulmate. It couldn’t be what the universe had in plan for her. It just couldn’t be. They had broken up all these months ago and despite how heartbroken she had been at first, she had never wanted to wallow. From the beginning, she had done everything she could to stop thinking about him, to move on, to focus on herself and her own happiness. So far, it had worked. More or less. But now, all these good resolutions seemed to crumble as she was hearing Stiles’ laugh from behind and looking at Malia’s cute dark jacket.

“Look, I’m probably just a little jet-lagged from the flight from the East coast, nothing to worry about.” Lydia lied with a pretend smile.

“Yeah right, tell that to your insanely fast heartbeat.” Malia scolded her.

“Okay Malia, thanks for your concern but our conversation is done.”

Lydia didn’t give a chance to Malia to say anything else and walked away from her. She wanted to walk assertively with her head up, like she usually did, but this time, she felt disturbed by all the colors surrounding her. She wasn’t used to them anymore and they were suddenly feeling too overwhelming for her. Lydia decided to head towards the kitchen, a place she knew no one was going to be at. She leaned against the counter and exhaled sharply. She needed to calm down and keep control over her emotions, for God’s sake.

A few minutes later, as Lydia was getting slowly accustomed to her new-not-so-new world, she briefly saw a shadow in the kitchen’s doorframe and flinched a little.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Lydia breathed quietly as Stiles was walking in her direction. He stood next to her, staring at the fridge in front of them. Silence set peacefully between them, allowing Lydia to focus on Stiles’ breathing. They hadn’t been this physically close to each other in a long time, yet, it felt like it was the most natural thing to have happened in this unusual day.

“Do you see the sponge next to the sink?” Stiles suddenly asked Lydia.

Lydia turned her head to look at him. His eyes were still focused in front of him, therefore, Lydia followed his lead. She tried to ignore the lump in her throat or the knots in her stomach because these things alone could be translated into feelings she was determined not to have.

“Yes.” Lydia simply answered, as casually as possible.

“Okay.” Stiles nodded. “Well, usually, I should see it in black and white, but now, I can see that it’s pur –“

“Purple.” Lydia interrupted him.

They had said it at the same time, which made them look each other in the eyes. Lydia could see how unsettled Stiles was, and she couldn’t say anything to reassure him because she was feeling the exact same way and it scared her way more than she cared to admit.

“Shit.” Stiles muttered.

“Yeah… I guess things are even more complicated now.” Lydia said before biting her lower lip nervously.

“I guess so too.” Stiles pouted.

“I don’t know what to do about it Stiles, I… It’s very confusing and scary, and I’m not even sure how I should react to this.” Lydia confessed in a shy voice.

“Me neither, Lydia… Have you told anyone yet?”

“No… Have you?”

“No… I don’t even know how to… explain it.”

Both Lydia and Stiles remained silent afterwards, back to staring at something random in the distance just to avoid locking eyes with each other. Lydia tightened her grip on the counter, clenching her hands on the wooden surface. There were more than seven billion people on the planet and her soulmate had to be her ex-boyfriend. She could pass on the irony sometimes.

“Well, it sure makes this birthday celebration more interesting.” Lydia eventually said sarcastically.

“I have to admit I wasn’t planning on getting an eyesight review tonight.” Stiles retorted ironically too.

Lydia couldn’t help but laugh lightly at Stiles’ joke. Despite everything that had happened between them, he was still able to make her laugh, even when he said something silly. Despite their last conversation and how they ended things between them, she could never despise or resent him. He had and will always have a special place in her heart. That, she couldn’t deny.

“So… How are things at MIT for you? Second year huh?” Stiles eventually asked Lydia.

“Are we really going down the small talk road, Stiles?” Lydia taunted him with a smile.

“I’m sorry, I’m just nervous right now.” Stiles confessed, chuckling. “You always had that effect on me. Making me nervous.”

Lydia didn’t answer anything because she knew it was true. Since they were kids, Stiles Stilinski had had a crush on her and had always been awkward whenever Lydia was around. Even when they started dating after their senior year, he still couldn’t believe it and happened to be nervous still from time to time. Lydia always found it adorable, although she never actually said it out loud. Which is why she decided to keep quiet about it at the moment.

“How about you?” Lydia eventually asked, rolling her eyes while smiling. “How are things in D.C.?”

“I guess we _are_ going down that road, huh?” Stiles chuckled, shrugging. “Well, it’s going great, actually. I’m valedictorian for now and classes are really interesting.”

“Congratulations!” Lydia exclaimed. “This is exciting. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks.” Stiles humbly said. “So, MIT?”

“What are your guesses?” Lydia smirked playfully.

“Oh, you’re valedictorian too, for sure.” Stiles replied playfully as well.

They both chuckled and Lydia got lost into Stiles’ eyes. She always loved them. They were sweet, full of love and they felt like home. Especially right now.

“Can I ask you a question?” Stiles then said, in a more serious tone.

“Sure.” Lydia approved, curious.

“Do you… miss it, sometimes?” Stiles asked while gesturing around him.

“Scott’s house?” Lydia teased him.

“Stop messing with me.” Stiles laughed while slightly nudging her shoulder. “So do you miss it? Beacon Hills?”

Lydia took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before answering Stiles’ question. She happened to reflect on that sometimes but giving an accurate answer out loud was always a bit difficult because she had such conflicted feelings about the place and it wasn’t always easy to decide if she missed it or if she was happy she was able to leave and experience life elsewhere. But she could feel like Stiles needed reassurance in the moment, therefore, she thought about anything she could say to make him feel better. At the end of the day, she still wanted him to be happy.

“To be honest, I…” Lydia began, uncertain. “I miss it only when I feel lonely. I don’t know if that makes any sense but that’s the best way to answer your question.”

“I see where you’re getting at.” Stiles approved, listening carefully.

“I mean, my life has changed significantly since I arrived in Mass.” Lydia continued. “No more Nemeton or supernatural creatures, new acquaintances, new life. It’s probably going to sound a little selfish but… MIT helped me focus on myself and figure out what I really want. You know?”

“Yeah… I feel the same way about Washington.”

“But at the same time, I… There are some things, some… _people_ from Beacon Hills that I still think about every day and some days are harder than others because of that.”

“I know exactly what you mean.”

“So do _you_ miss it? Beacon Hills?” Lydia finally asked him.

“Of course I do.” Stiles immediately answered in an honest way. “I miss my dad, mostly. I miss the good memories I have here. But I like my new life in D.C. and even though I tend to hold onto memories, I don’t regret leaving.”

“Right. It’s best to feel this way than the other way around.”

“I don’t regret leaving, but there are some other things I regret, though.”

Lydia lifted her eyes to look at Stiles, who also laid eyes on her. He looked so intense at the moment Lydia felt like she could melt under his gaze. Even though the lighting in the kitchen was mostly due to the moon beaming through the window, Lydia could see Stiles lingering on her lips, which made her stomach flutter. She couldn’t let herself feel these things. They had been in a relationship long before and had ended it because the distance was too hard to handle. Well, it was mostly Lydia’s call. Stiles just agreed or pretended to agree. She had called it off, she couldn’t give in just because Stiles’ lips were calling for hers and she was trying her hardest to ignore that call. If Allison could see her, internally fighting to resist a guy… But Stiles was not just any guy.

“Stiles, I…” Lydia began talking, even though she was unsure what to say.

“Hey, look who’s here!”

If there was a special moment happening between them, Scott’s interruption definitely made it pass. He turned the light on and Lydia thus met his curious gaze from the doorframe.

“I realized you two were gone, so I thought…” Scott began, scraping the back of his neck nervously.

“Don’t worry Scott, we were just… catching up.” Lydia told him with a light smile, even though her thoughts were spiralling.

“Good.” Scott smiled while frowning. “Um Stiles, your phone kept on buzzing like crazy on the table, I assume someone’s been trying to call you.”

“Oh right, thanks dude, I’m coming in a sec.” Stiles said with a hand wave.

Scott nodded and turned around to walk back to the living-room, not without glancing curiously at Stiles and Lydia. Once he was out of sight, Lydia let out a sigh and cleared her throat afterwards.

“Well, it was nice talking to you, Stiles.” She exclaimed before walking away as well.

“Wait, we didn’t even talk about what we were going to do about our –“

“I think now isn’t the best time to discuss that.” Lydia interrupted him firmly.

Stiles looked at her in surprise after she said that but instead of adding anything else, she hurried outside of the kitchen to meet everyone back in the living room. Being alone with Stiles wasn’t a good idea, especially after what had happened to them. Sure, the colors were a big deal and Lydia wouldn’t be able to ignore it forever, but at the moment, all she wanted to do was taste that appealing orange cocktail Melissa had prepared and forget about her ex-boyfriend being her soulmate.

***

The rest of the evening went by quite nicely. Stiles hadn’t tried talking to Lydia again, and neither had she. They were politely ignoring each other, quietly glancing at the other from time to time. Lydia was down to her fifth drink – probably sixth, she had stopped counting – and she felt more soothed. She was enjoying herself and she wouldn’t let anything – or anyone – ruin that.

Lydia sat down on the couch with a drink in hand and watched Stiles and Derek talking from the other side of the room. She wondered what topic their discussion was about. Since Derek left Beacon Hills and was no longer fearing the Nemeton’s power, he was much more calm and nice to hang out with. In fact, everyone was. The stress from their teenage years was finally gone, letting them stress over mundane things, like college or bills. Some could argue about whether they were less terrifying than a bunch of angry werewolves or not.

At some point, Lydia saw Melissa smiling at her before coming to sit down next to her. Lydia took yet another sip of her cocktail and put her most genuine smile on her face.

“Are you having a good time, Lydia?” Melissa instantly asked her.

“Terrific.” Lydia answered lightly. “Thank you so much for having us, it is so nice to celebrate Scott’s birthday.”

“Of course. He probably won’t admit it to his friends but he was actually pretty nervous about turning twenty.” Melissa told Lydia in confidence, hiding her mouth behind her hand. “So I suggested he came back home and threw a little party.”

“It’s such a great idea. I was nervous about turning twenty as well, I ended up drinking a bottle of wine with my roommate in our room. It was nice though, I didn’t want more or less.”

Melissa politely smiled at Lydia and without being able to explain why, Lydia felt the urge to confide in her.

“Melissa, can I ask you something?” Lydia then asked.

“Anything, sweetie.” Melissa encouraged her.

“Um… It is rather personal, so don’t feel like you have to answer but it’s just out of curiosity… When did you start seeing… colors again?”

Melissa lightly chuckled at Lydia’s question before inhaling and exhaling.

“Well, actually... ” Melissa answered, smiling. “I haven’t lost the colors for too long.”

“Really?” Lydia exclaimed, surprised. “H – how is that possible?”

“Because I already knew my soulmate. We just had to have one look at each other to see colors again. And it happened soon after my twentieth birthday, so… _Voilà_.”

“And… who was it, then? Scott’s father?”

“At first, I thought it was him. You know, because I was at a party with all of my friends back then and he was here, so I just assumed it was obvious. But… In fact, it was someone else’s eyes that made me see colors again.”

Lydia frowned, curious. If it wasn’t Scott’s father, who could it be? Lydia didn’t have to think it through, because the second Noah Stilinski made his entrance in the room, Melissa’s attention instantly drifted from Lydia to him, and the way she looked at him was enough of an answer.

“Hi kids.” Noah greeted everyone quickly. “Hope there’s not some underage drinking here, I seem to recall not everyone is twenty-one yet.”

“Oh come on Dad, it’s Scott’s birthday!!” Stiles protested.

Lydia wondered if Stiles’ dad was serious but the tension he had set in the room quickly vanished when he put on a smile.

“I’m going to let it slide for once, because our Scott here is twenty today. But no slippage and always drink with moderation!”

Everyone laughed and the party kept going. Noah made his way through the crowd to get to Melissa, who got up from the couch to greet him properly.

“Hey stranger.” She told him playfully.

“Hi gorgeous.” Noah answered.

They exchanged a chaste kiss under Lydia’s soft eyes. They took a long time to admit their feelings for each other, thus, seeing them together made her content. People who were right for each other deserved to share their happiness. And it was Lydia, usually cynical, that was thinking that. It said a lot about how things changed for her since she turned twenty.

“Oh, and who do we have here?” Noah joked when he saw Lydia.

Lydia smiled and rose up from the couch to give Stiles’ dad a brief hug. His embrace, like many other things in this house, felt like home and Lydia enjoyed it the few seconds it lasted.

“How are you doing, kiddo?” Noah asked Lydia once they parted.

“I’m good.” Lydia replied casually.

“It’s been a long time. I hope everything’s going great for you at MIT.”

“Couldn’t be better.”

Lydia smiled at Noah, even though she was a little bit uncomfortable. After all, he was her ex’s father. Both Stiles and her were mature enough to behave normally and avoid awkwardness with their relatives, however, her previous interaction with Stiles was still running in Lydia’s head and she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable around anyone that reminded her of him.

“Well, I’m going over there to wish Scott a happy birthday.” Noah eventually said before walking away.

“So, I guess that answers your question, Lydia.” Melissa told her once they were alone again.

“Yeah, it does.” Lydia chuckled.

“Why were you asking me? Simple curiosity or… you’ve met the one?”

Lydia lightly blushed and cleared her throat. Could she open up and get that off her mind once and for all? She could trust Melissa, after all. She had always been a genuinely nice and comforting person. Maybe she could keep her secret.

“Well, actually…” Lydia started saying.

“Ugh Stiles, your girlfriend is calling again, could you at least turn off your phone?” Malia raged.

The words that were about to come out of Lydia’s mouth got swallowed back in her throat. She felt incapable of saying anything else and just stood where she was, still. Staring at Stiles incredulously.

He must have sensed it somehow because the first thing he did after Malia’s intervention was look over at Lydia. She shook her head from left to right and looked away to avoid his gaze.

“You were about to say something, sweetie?” Melissa asked her in a comforting tone.

Lydia briefly saw Stiles grabbing his phone and heading towards another room, talking to someone at the other end. She ignored the sudden anger and sadness that overwhelmed her to answer Melissa as calmly as possible.

“No, it’s nothing. Nothing interesting, anyway.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I mentioned before, it's been a while since I watched the show so I might get some things wrong but I seemed to recall either it hasn't been mentioned on the show, or Melissa and the other parents all grew up together, the same way their kids did, which is why I went with the soulmates story for Melissa. Hope I didn't get anything wrong.


	3. Please, don't ever become a stranger...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter!!
> 
> I'm not updating very often, apologies for that. Hopefully, you'll like this chapter and then, there will only be one chapter left before our happy ending. (Yes I am a sucker for happy endings, you'll definitely have it)
> 
> Don't hesitate to leave kudos or comment if you appreciate your reading :)

**_ Chapter 3: Please, don’t ever become a stranger… _ **

The next day, Lydia woke up with a sore throat and a massive headache. She realized she was thirsty while she was moistening her terribly dry lips. She had definitely drunk that orange punch excessively the night before.

It felt weird being back in her parents’ house but at the same time, Lydia was satisfied waking up in her old bedroom. Nothing had changed, all the arrangements in her room looked the same and in that moment, it was comforting.

As she went down to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water and take a pill in order to ease her headache, Lydia tried to remind herself how Scott’s birthday party had ended before she had gone back home. Everyone had left around 2 A.M. and even though Stiles had insisted to drive her back, Lydia had preferred to be driven by Liam, who hadn’t drunk alcohol. Lydia had noticed how disappointed Stiles had looked like but she was too drunk and upset about the girlfriend revelation, therefore, she had thought it would be better to ignore him and forget about that stupid soulmates thing. It was not because the world, fate or whatever decided they should be soulmates that she was obliged to act on it. If she wanted to dismiss it and pretend otherwise, so be it. After all, it got her to at least see colors again and it was probably the only thing that truly mattered.

Besides, if Stiles had a girlfriend, he would never leave her for Lydia, even though she was his soulmate. She knew him too well, he was a very loyal and faithful person. Even more so as a boyfriend. Either way, she could forget about anything happening between her and Stiles, even though destiny put them both together. It was not such a big deal to ignore destiny. Right?

“Hey honey, how was the party last night?”

Lydia flinched at the sound of her mother’s voice in her back, too lost in thoughts. She turned around and faced her, a light smile on her face.

“It was fine.” Lydia simply answered. “It was great seeing everybody again.”

“That’s great. So you saw everybody?” Natalie asked with a furrowed eyebrow.

“Yeah Mom, I even saw Stiles.” Lydia remarked sarcastically, understanding her mother’s innuendo.

“And? How was it?” Natalie insisted, visibly curious.

“Civil, I’d say.” Lydia lied with a shrug. “He has a girlfriend in Washington now so whatever.”

“Oh no honey, I’m so sorry, I know it’s not easy to find out an ex-boyfriend has moved on.” Natalie pouted with a sorry face.

“It’s okay.” Lydia sighed. “I was the one who broke up with him after all.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t be sad, sweetie.”

Lydia exhaled sharply and didn’t know what else to say. Her mother was right but Lydia, being sad over a guy? Been there, done that and she was not keen on reiterating the experience.

“Anyway, let’s talk about something else, shall we?” Lydia suggested with a light smile.

“Sure, let’s have breakfast together, I want you to catch me up to speed on the latest news in your life at Massachusetts.” Natalie cooed, sitting down at the kitchen counter.

Lydia chuckled. She had breakfast with her mother and they talked for over an hour before Natalie had to leave for work. She felt guilty about leaving her daughter alone when she was only in town for the weekend, however, Lydia assured her it was not a problem and that they would have dinner together that evening either way. Lydia had plans for the day so it would keep her busy. She would study for her classes the whole morning, then, she would grab lunch with Malia downtown and during the afternoon, she had a very specific meeting that she could not miss since it was a habit every time she would come back to Beacon Hills. Therefore, her day would be pretty much busy until she would have dinner with her mother and it would not be a problem.

Sitting down at her desk, Lydia was going over her notes from the last week’s lectures at MIT. She had tied her hair into a neglected bun, she wore her glasses down on her nose and had made herself a cup of coffee in her favorite childhood mug to accompany her during this study session. It was raining outside and the sound of the thunder from afar meddled perfectly with the soft music Lydia had put in the background.

At some point, she grabbed her phone and decided to check with Malia if their lunch date was still on. The she-wolf answered no less than one minute after Lydia had sent her text to confirm that they would still meet at this new restaurant place in the city center. Lydia smiled, contented, and focused back on her studying.

A few minutes later, her phone buzzed again and Lydia frowned. Was Malia already cancelling their lunch date? Maybe she had had a fight with Derek, like it usually happened when these two spent too much time together.

However, Lydia was surprised to see the message was not from Malia.

**Stiles – 10.56 A.M.**

_hey can we talk?_

Lydia scornfully huffed and readjusted her glasses on her nose before typing back an answer.

**Lydia – 10.57 A.M.**

_i think we’ve said everything we had to say last night._

Lydia didn’t have the time to put her phone down since it quickly buzzed again while still in her hand. Apparently, Stiles was expectantly waiting for her answer in front of his phone.

**Stiles – 10.57 A.M.**

_what’s goin on Lydia? You’ve been avoiding me last night and we never had a chance to talk about you-know-what before you suddenly left…_

“Oh I guess we’re going to have that talk, after all.” Lydia said out loud in a sarcastic tone before typing an answer.

**Lydia – 10.58 A.M.**

_look, theres nothing to talk about. Let’s just be glad we can see colors again and forget about that ridiculous soulmates thing. I don’t believe your girlfriend would approve either way._

“Alright, that should shut him up for good.” Lydia commented to herself.

When she thought she would have peace to keep on studying, her phone buzzed yet another time, two times in a row, actually.

“Or not.” Lydia added in a sigh while grabbing her phone. “I’ve forgotten how stubborn this one can be.”

**Stiles – 11.01 A.M.**

_I’m sorry… I should’ve said something about Abigail. I just didn’t know how to. Especially after I understood you made me see colors again._

**Stiles – 11.02 A.M.**

_Lydia please, let’s meet and talk, I don’t want to have this conversation over text. Please please please_

Lydia breathed out slowly and closed her eyes. Her headache was threatening to come back and she didn’t want to ruin her day like this.

She was conflicted – she was both curious to hear what Stiles could possibly say to her and afraid to have that talk. Wouldn’t things change completely if they decided to acknowledge the true nature of their relationship? They were soulmates, for God’s sake, not something as insignificant as gym buddies, for example. Lydia knew Stiles would not give up on this talk. Again, she knew him too well.

Not without letting out a groan of frustration at her own behavior, Lydia typed back an answer and eventually decided to ignore her phone until she could be done with her studying and get ready to meet Malia at noon.

**Lydia – 11.05 A.M.**

_fine, let’s meet tonight at the ice skating rink. For old times’ sake._

***

When Lydia met Malia for their lunch date, her friend was already there, studying carefully the menu. Lydia walked to her with a smile and sat down in front of her.

“Hey.” Lydia simply said.

“Hey.” Malia distractingly said back.

“Is something wrong with the menu?” Lydia asked, frowning.

“Only that I want to order every goddamn thing on it.” Malia exclaimed while putting the menu back on the table. “I’m starving!”

“When are you not?” Lydia teased her before looking at the menu herself. “Oh they’re doing a brunch formula for two, what do you think?”

“Let’s go for that. With tons of maple syrup and extra bacon.” Malia blurted out.

“Sure.” Lydia nodded, amused by her friend’s candor.

They quickly ordered the brunch formula and were talking about everything and nothing until the waitress brought their order. Malia licked her lips not so subtly before grabbing a fork and a knife, and eating veraciously. Lydia was not even done with half of her plate when Malia was done eating.

“Still quite the hungry eater, I see.” Lydia remarked with a smirk.

“I’m a coyote, Lydia. Of course I’m a hungry eater.” Malia whispered with a light laugh.

“So how is Spain?” Lydia politely asked while pouring herself another glass of homemade orange juice.

“If you want to know, come visit us.” Malia said playfully.

“Ha, I’d love to but MIT is taking a lot of my free time, you know.” Lydia answered truthfully, pursing her lips. “It’s a miracle I could even come this weekend.”

“I’m glad you did. Scott was very nervous about his birthday, it’s a good thing we were all here. More or less.” Malia explained.

“Yeah…” Lydia sighed.

“I’m serious about Spain, though.” Malia added, licking her fingers for the last maple syrup’s drops. “We have a small house in Seville and I’m sure you’d love it.”

“Thanks Malia, I’ll try to see if the next university break works for me.”

Malia’s smile and happiness were so genuine that Lydia couldn’t say “no” to her. Besides, Lydia would love to visit Spain, indeed. Now that she could see colors again, it would certainly be even more beautiful.

“This apple juice tastes weird.” Malia eventually said, mimicking vomit sounds while looking at her glass.

“That’s probably because it’s not apple juice, honey.” Lydia taunted her. “I think the color and the taste are a good hint for you to find out.”

“Yeah sure but –“

Malia suddenly stopped talking and Lydia looked at her with a frown.

“What is it?” Lydia asked, genuinely clueless.

Lydia quickly realized her mistake when she noticed Malia’s widened eyes and confused expression.

“Oh my God!” Malia exclaimed. “You haven’t even told me about _that_??”

“Malia, please, it’s still pretty new and I haven’t told any –“

“You’ve met your soulmate??” Malia interrupted her.

Lydia looked around her, concerned that there might be someone in the restaurant that she knew and could hear them. Fortunately, there was only a bunch of unfamiliar faces and none of them seemed to actually pay attention or care about her friend’s not very discreet revelation.

“Since when?” Malia kept asking. “Lydia, shit, this is a big deal! Why haven’t you said anything?”

“Because!” Lydia exclaimed, starting to lose her temper. “Malia, please, let me talk.”

“Right, sorry. I’m not even going to say how offended I am you haven’t shared the news with one of your best f –“

Malia shut herself up when she noticed the way Lydia was glaring at her.

“Sorry. Go on.” Malia said solemnly.

“Thank you.” Lydia exhaled. “Look, I haven’t told anyone because… It actually happened last night.”

“Wait, for real?” Malia asked, confused. “But… Who was it?”

Stiles’ name got stuck in Lydia’s throat and suddenly, she felt like she was under water, incapable of breathing. She was not sure she would be able to actually say it out loud. Saying it with words would make it real. And it scared her more than she cared to admit.

“It wasn’t me, was it?” Malia eventually asked.

“Wh – No!” Lydia stammered, taken aback. “Malia, if it were you, don’t you think you’d have seen some improvements yourself regarding your eyesight?”

“Oh. Yeah you’re right, hadn’t thought about that.” Malia nodded, looking reflective.

“It was… Ugh, I can’t believe I’m going to say this. It was Stiles, okay? The minute I laid eyes on Stiles, everything was in color again and honestly, it freaks me out.”

“No way!” Malia exclaimed, visibly surprised. “Wow. Your ex is your soulmate. That must be awkward.”

“Thanks Malia, hadn’t occurred to me before.” Lydia sighed ironically.

“What are you going to do about it?” Malia asked, curious.

“I don’t know…” Lydia whispered. “It’s complicated. We did break up for a reason all those months ago and now Stiles is seeing someone else. I don’t know what’s the reasonable thing to do in that scenario.”

“Easy. Stiles dumps the girlfriend and you guys get together again. You’re his soulmate, who cares about that random bitch.”

“Malia!” Lydia scolded her. “You can’t say things like that, it’s not nice!”

“Oh please, who cares about being nice? Lydia, I don’t think you realize how big this is. Let me say it again for you – you and Stiles are _soulmates_. This is not something you can ignore. Do you seriously want to live the rest of your life knowing you have a soulmate and you’re not even with him? Sorry for being rude but it honestly sounds lame and stupid.”

“Well… At least, you’re being honest, I’ll give you that.”

“Just talk about it with him, at least. Take the cat out of the bag.”

“He… actually reached out to me this morning. We’re meeting tonight to talk about it.”

“Oh. Good. Then you don’t need my advice anymore, everything will work its way perfectly fine.”

Lydia pouted, not so sure about Malia’s statement. Lydia decided to change the subject and asked her about her life in Seville. Malia took the hint and instantly, the girls started talking about any subject that was not love or soulmate related. And Lydia had to say she was definitely glad they were not talking about it anymore.

Around 2 P.M., the girls left the restaurant together and said goodbye to each other. They would meet again later that night after dinner at another party at Liam’s place, this time. Lydia could not even think about how tired she would be the next day when she would get on her plane back to Massachusetts.

When she was back to her car, Lydia took a minute to enjoy the silence and think. What Malia said kept on playing on repeat in her head. Did she really want to live the rest of her life knowing Stiles was her soulmate and not do anything about it? Sure, seeing colors again was a blessing. But was it actually worth it if she couldn’t even share it with the person that made it possible in the first place?

Lydia started the car with a sigh and immediately drove to her next location. Luckily, the place she was heading to would allow her to think things through and possibly find the answers she was looking for.

She parked her car and got out before walking towards her destination. Like every time she was in this place, she felt like she was suffocating but also breathing again. It was odd but she could not leave Beacon Hills without coming here at least one during her stay.

Which is why a tear started rolling down her cheek as she stood over Allison Argent’s grave.


	4. ... whose laugh I could recognize anywhere.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter, yay! (or not... I love these two dorks :( )
> 
> I'm sorry again for the very slow updates on this story... I have to admit this chapter is a little bit rushed because I didn't really know how to end that story properly. But either way, I hope you'll enjoy it and that overall, you enjoyed reading that fic. Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated :)

**_ Chapter 4: … whose laugh I could recognize anywhere. _ **

Lydia could never leave Beacon Hills without visiting Allison’s grave first. Even though she was staying one little weekend, she had to take at least thirty minutes of her day to go to the cemetery. It was always difficult, sometimes painful, but it was a stop she had to make. Even after all these weeks, all these months, all these years, it was still very important to her.

However, Lydia had been so distracted and disrupted by her soulmates’ drama that for the first time, she had forgotten to buy a bouquet of daffodils to leave it on the grave. She hated herself for that because Allison’s grave had to remain colorful. It was important. Thankfully, it appeared that some people were still visiting her grave on a regular basis, because it was always full of beautiful flowers.

Lydia always brought yellow daffodils. They were a symbol of hope and re-birth. And she wanted to give that to Allison, wherever she was right now.

Unfortunately, today, Lydia didn’t have any daffodils with her. Instead, she decided to leave the small white daisy that was on the set of decoration in the restaurant she had lunch with Malia at earlier today. She softly put it below Allison’s picture and put on a sad smile, wiping another tear that was rolling down her cheek.

“Hey Allison.” Lydia’s quavering voice said. “Been a while. Sorry I couldn’t come and visit you before, life’s been… kind of crazy lately.”

Even though Lydia knew she was not going to get an actual answer out loud, she still took a few seconds to breathe out.

“Sorry about the flowers, too.” Lydia kept on saying, chuckling sadly. “I promise that next time, you’ll get twice the amount of daffodils you usually have.”

Lydia sighed and looked around her. There were a few other people here and there, standing or sitting down in front of some graves. She smiled when she noticed some of them were also talking to someone on the other side, someone that could probably no longer hear them, but it felt comforting and reassuring regardless. The living needed something to hold onto, after all.

“Well, you are not going to believe what’s happened to me this weekend, Alli…” Lydia sighed.

“Lydia?”

Upon hearing her name, Lydia lifted her head up and was not even surprised to come across this familiar face.

“Hey Scott.” She whispered.

Scott’s lips turned into a weak smile as he sat down gently on the grass next to Lydia. They were now both staring at Allison’s picture beneath her name, birth date and deceased date on the cold grey stone.

“If you want to be alone here, I can come back later.” Scott suddenly suggested.

“Oh no, are you kidding? Please, stay.” Lydia immediately insisted.

“Looks like you were about to tell her something important, though.” Scott pointed out with a grin on his face.

“Ugh well… You know what? You can hear it too, I don’t mind at this point.” Lydia conceded, shrugging.

“Is it about Stiles being your soulmate?”

Lydia almost choked on air after Scott’s obviously rhetorical question. Lydia turned her head on her right to stare at him, eyes widened. Scott was looking at her with a tiny sparkle in his eyes, his soft smile giving him these adorable dimples that Lydia knew Allison used to be fond of.

“How –?” Lydia began asking before closing her mouth, still surprised.

“What do you think? He told me, obviously.” Scott answered, sounding amused.

“Obviously…” Lydia repeated in a sigh.

“He also told me you were going to meet tonight to talk about it.” Scott added.

“We are but to be honest, I only accepted to do it for him because Scott, what is there to even talk about? We broke up and he’s with someone else now. That ship has sailed.”

“Has it, though? Lydia, I’ve seen the way you two were looking at each other last night. You can lie to yourself if you want but you can’t lie to me. I know what those kind of looks mean.”

“Yeah, we were… probably disconcerted by that revelation, which is normal, I think. I mean, we’re talking _soulmates_ , it’s not innocuous.”

Lydia felt slightly lightened when she saw Scott frown at her use of the word “innocuous” but it was only a short-term amusement. She reflected again for a few seconds and actually started to feel nervous about seeing Stiles again tonight. She didn’t even know what she was going to say.

“I’m sure you guys will sort things out.” Scott eventually said. “You always do.”

“Maybe we will.” Lydia shrugged. “But I didn’t come here to talk only about me.”

“Well… Since you weren’t expecting me to be here, I assume you were, in the end.” Scott taunted her.

Lydia lightly laughed and nudged her shoulder to Scott’s. Her eyes laid on Allison’s picture afterwards and she admired her late friend’s beautiful smile.

“I miss her so much, you know.” Lydia told Scott in a whisper.

“I know.” Scott instantly confirmed. “I miss her so much too.”

“I wish she was still here.” Lydia confessed. “I wish I could’ve talked to her about all these things that have happened to me since I’ve got into MIT and have her opinion on them. I wish she could listen to me and help me.”

“Well… What do you think she would tell you about this… thing with Stiles?” Scott asked her.

“I, uh… I don’t know, I haven’t thought about it, actually.” Lydia admitted, frowning.

“You can try to. Sometimes I do that and it helps.”

“It does?”

Scott nodded at Lydia before she lowered her eyes and started playing with twigs and grass in her hand.

“I think… Allison would probably say something like… ‘ _Well, you could’ve ended up with someone far worse than Stiles so that’s good news_ ’.” Lydia eventually said, smiling softly as she imagined having this conversation with her lost friend.

“Oh my God, she would definitely say something like that.” Scott approved, chuckling happily.

“What do _you_ think she would’ve said to me?” Lydia then asked Scott, curious.

“Oh. Hmm…” Scott stammered, visibly embarrassed. “Are you sure you want my opinion on this? I might not be very impartial.”

“Well, technically it’s not _your_ opinion, it’s Allison’s hypothetical opinion.” Lydia pointed out with a smirk.

“Sure.” Scott laughed. “Well, um… I think she would tell you that… First of all, it’s pretty amazing that you got to see colors again. A lot of people wait a long time before that happens to them, some even say it never happens and they die without ever finding out who their soulmate was.”

Lydia was not smiling anymore as she was listening to Scott’s speech. She was suddenly saddened, her heart tightened in her chest. Allison died and she never got the chance to find out who her own soulmate was. Even though Lydia could pretty easily guess who it could have been…

“Anyway, so you’re already lucky on that part.” Scott continued after clearing his throat, obviously shaken himself. “And also, she would tell you that… Being soulmates with Mieczyslaw Stilinski is… actually great, because he’s a great guy.”

“Can you believe Allison never got to find out Stiles’ actual name?” Lydia pointed out.

“Oh right. Well, anyway, you get the idea.”

“I do. And obviously, if we knew about the soulmates part when we were still together, I’m sure things would’ve been different.”

“That’s… pretty striking, don’t you think?”

“But it doesn’t matter Scott, because if wishes were horses, then beggars would ride.”

“Huh?” Scott let out, visibly confused.

“I mean that talking in ‘if’s isn’t relevant.” Lydia explained herself. “What matters is now, and now, Stiles is dating someone else in D.C. and I’m definitely not planning on being a homewrecker. Besides, being soulmates doesn’t change the fact that we still live more than four hundred miles away from each other.”

“Right but being soulmates can also mean that the long distance doesn’t mean anything compared to that, don’t you think?”

“Okay, I’m pretty sure you’re now giving your entire opinion on the subject, Scott.” Lydia remarked, smiling.

“Yeah… Told you I might not be impartial.” Scott winced.

Lydia sighed and looked at an arrangement of orchids surrounding the grave.

“Those are beautiful.” Lydia then said.

“Yeah, I brought them with my mom the last time I came here.” Scott told her.

“They’re gorgeous. What do they represent?”

“Love, beauty and strength.” Scott replied instantly.

“Hmm. Sounds like Allison Argent.” Lydia smiled.

Scott smiled too and Lydia knew he did not even have to say something to that because they both agreed silently.

“Alright, I need to get going, I was just dropping by to check on her and the flowers.” Scott suddenly exclaimed before getting up.

“Are you sure? I can leave and give you some time alone, if you want.” Lydia suggested.

“No it’s okay, I can come here whenever I want, you’re in Mass most of the time, take your time.”

Lydia smiled and stood up as well in order to hug Scott goodbye. In this moment, it almost felt like Allison was hugging them too and it left a warmth in Lydia’s chest.

“Please be easy on Stiles tonight.” Scott then said in her ear. “He’s actually pretty nervous about this talk.”

“I’m not going to eat him alive, I swear.” Lydia teased. “I’m… actually pretty nervous myself.”

“You guys will be fine.” Scott ensured as they broke their hug and stood in front of each other. “I know you will. It was always so easy between the two of you. You guys complete each other.”

Lydia could not help but blush slightly at Scott’s comment. She cleared her throat, pulling her hair back on her head as Scott dug his hands inside his pockets and started to turn around in order to walk back to his car.

“Wait!” Lydia suddenly said.

Scott turned around to face her and laid inquisitive eyes on her.

“Let me know if one day, you see colors again, okay?” Lydia asked him.

“Lydia… I think we both know I’ll never see colors again in my life.” Scott sadly replied. “And I’m pretty sure about it, because… When I looked at _her_ picture earlier, it started to be confused around me. I… almost saw the orchids’ color.”

Lydia was suddenly breathless. She had no idea such things could happen but in all honesty, she was not surprised. It actually made sense. On that note, Scott waved her goodbye one last time and finally turned around to walk away. Lydia stood there, still. Suddenly, she was shaking. What if she was doing a mistake? What if ignoring Stiles being her soulmate was actually the biggest mistake of her life?

***

That night, Lydia and Stiles met at the ice skating rink they once went to with Allison and Scott. It reminded Lydia of some very bad memories, which is why she violently shivered as she stepped out of her car. But at the same time, she remembered some very happy memories as well. Allison and Scott, both skating happily together. Stiles and herself, talking and skating together… Her heart skipped a beat at that thought. She sighed frustratingly and walked inside of the building with anticipation running all over her body.

Unlike the last time she was there, the place was now full of people skating to the sound of loud music and children’s laughter. Lydia took her coat off and started looking for Stiles in the crowd. She spotted him a few seconds later, leaning against the wall, a cotton-candy in hand. Lydia bit her lower lip at the sight of him and tried to think about anything other than the fact that he looked terribly attractive in this moment. But again, was there a moment Lydia was not thinking Stiles was good-looking?

He quickly noticed her as well. She realized from the way he looked at her that he was probably thinking the same things. They really were in a terrible position, if so…

Lydia eventually gathered the courage to walk up to him and here they were, both leaning against the wall, next to each other, their eyes staring into the distance. The place was as loud as possible, however, the tension was so intense Lydia felt like she could not hear anything other than her own heartbeat resonating in her ears.

“Hey.” Stiles said in a deep voice.

“Hey.” Lydia repeated, half-whispering.

“Thanks for coming. Want some?” Stiles asked as he was showing her the cotton candy.

“No thanks.” Lydia answered while shaking her hand from left to right. “Um… So what do you wanted to talk about?”

“Well… _Us_ , obviously.” Stiles truthfully said before eating a bit of cotton candy.

“Okay but there hasn’t been an ‘us’ in a long time, Stiles.” Lydia reminded him.

“I know that but… Lydia, we need to figure out what we’re going to do about that soulmates revelation.”

“Does your girlfriend get to have a say in this?” Lydia asked sarcastically.

“Alright, I wasn’t planning on being like this but if even _you_ want to be all sarcastic right now, why not, let’s do this.” Stiles retorted, full of sarcasm and annoyance.

“I don’t want to be sarcastic Stiles, I’m just being realistic here.” Lydia corrected, rolling her eyes. "I honestly think it’s a little inconsiderate that we’re even having this discussion in the first place while she’s over there in D.C., waiting for you to come back.”

“Then why did you agree to meet me tonight?”

“Well, you didn’t really give me that much of a choice, did you?”

Stiles scoffed, annoyingly scraping the back of his neck. This conversation was obviously heading nowhere and they were already arguing. Lydia knew it would be a waste of time. Then, even though it pained her to admit it, Stiles was right, why did she come there anyway? She could have just taken the easy way out – stand him up, ignore him, go back to Massachusetts and pretend like this weekend never even happened. Yet, here she was.

“Lydia, I’m not going back to D.C. without sorting things out with you first.” Stiles eventually told her.

“I think you’ve pretty much sorted it out just within this sentence, Stiles.” Lydia retorted. “You’re going back to D.C. soon. I’m going back to MIT. We’re back to square one. It solves everything, doesn’t it? After all, that’s why we broke up the last time.”

“You mean that’s why _you_ wanted to break up.” Stiles corrected.

“Stop saying that, you were more than okay to break up too.” Lydia said bitterly.

“Yeah because that’s what you wanted and I didn’t want you to keep being in a relationship with me if you really didn’t feel like it.”

“But we agreed.”

“Lydia, I only agreed because that’s what you wanted. I was happy with you. I didn’t want to break up just because of that stupid distance.”

Lydia had a hard time swallowing. They hadn’t had that discussion in a long time, however, the pain it inflicted in her was just as vivid.

“Anyway, that’s not the point.” Stiles eventually added, breathing out slowly.

“What is, then?” Lydia asked between clenched teeth, her eyes starting to be watery.

“God, you really want me to say it out loud, don’t you?” Stiles huffed, visibly upset himself.

“Please, enlighten me, Stiles.” Lydia said ironically.

“As if it was hard to guess…” Stiles whispered.

Lydia knew exactly what was coming and the consequences it would later have but she did not do anything to stop it. Now that she was here, it was already too late anyway.

“I’m not even surprised I got to see colors again when I laid eyes on you Lydia because you want the truth? I’ve _never_ stopped loving you. Not once. I’ve just… made my peace with the idea that we didn’t belong together anymore and I shoved these damn feelings deep down inside of me. So yeah, I’ve never stopped loving you but slowly, with time, I’ve learned to forget about it the best I could. And so far, it was working just fine. Until I saw you again last night and the first thing I thought was how gorgeous you looked in that scarlet dress.”

Lydia tried her hardest to repress the tears that demanded to be freed from her eyes. She didn’t want to cry. She had cried enough. She was a strong, tough, independent woman. She could not cry over a man again, soulmate or not.

“And of course I feel bad about Abigail.” Stiles continued in his rant. “She didn’t take it too bad, surprisingly, she was understanding even, but it doesn’t mean that –“

“Hold on a second.” Lydia immediately interrupted him, staring at him in disbelief. “You’ve told her over the _phone_ already??”

“Of course I have! Was I supposed to not let my girlfriend know that I’ve met my soulmate? _That_ would’ve been inconsiderate, if you ask me.”

“Oh my God, I _am_ a homewrecker.” Lydia sighed, letting herself fall slowly to sit on the floor.

“Wh – what?” Stiles stammered, letting himself fall on the floor as well to sit next to her. “No you’re not!”

“Stiles, no offense but don’t you think your girlfriend is going to break up with you now that you’ve told her this?”

“None taken. And… I don’t know, I guess so, we haven’t really discussed it.”

“Well, what did she say?”

“That she understood. And she didn’t blame me. And that I should not ignore something like this and she wished me the best.”

“That… sounds like a break-up to me, Stiles.” Lydia remarked with a crooked smile. “An amicable one, for sure, but… A break-up regardless.”

“… Oh.” Stiles said after a few seconds of silence. “Right. Now that I think of it, it actually makes sense.”

Lydia couldn’t help but chuckle lightly at Stiles’ cluelessness in this instant. This reaction seemed to lighten the mood and suddenly, they both felt more at ease with each other. Only then did Lydia notice how close their bodies were to each other, but curiously, she didn’t mind. It even felt… right.

“What about you?” Stiles eventually asked.

“What about me?” Lydia asked him back, to clarify.

“Do you have… someone back at MIT?” Stiles shyly asked her.

“Um, no, I don’t.” Lydia answered, surprised by the question. “I’m not seeing anyone at the moment.”

“Oh. Okay. Good. I mean, not good, but… Well, you know what I mean.” Stiles stammered awkwardly.

Lydia suddenly felt hot in a room that was supposed to be cold. She silently admired the red scarf of a woman passing in front of her, the purple beanie of a kid running around with another one, who was wearing a navy blue little coat. This magical show of colors was overwhelming and beautiful, and as she turned her head to look at Stiles, who happened to look at the people in front of them too, she realized she was supposed to share this show with someone else, in the end. They had been blessed by this new ability for a reason. And sharing it with Stiles Stilinski was, in fact, not so bad at all.

“I’ve never stopped loving you too, by the way.” Lydia eventually told him in a shy whisper.

Stiles turned his head to look at her, his soft brown eyes shining brightly. Lydia could tell he was overwhelmed too. How could he not? The situation was so new, so intense, so breathtaking and scary at the same time.

Lydia lowered her eyes to the ground before finally raising them again and meeting Stiles’. Slowly but softly, she felt their fingers brushing, shy at first, then more confidently. Before she could fully realize what was happening, she was holding hands with Stiles Stilinski and suddenly, everything finally seemed right again and she was no longer afraid. Which is why she decided to gently put a hand on his face before pressing her lips against his, sealing an unspoken deal that destiny had set up for them. And his lips tasted like cotton candy, hope and home.


End file.
